Baseball Preview Top 10.

Written Monday April 13th, at 12:10 PM


1. West Bloomfield: After knocking out Birmingham Brother Rice a season ago in districts, the Lakers could be a team to keep an eye on this season. West Bloomfield will be lead by senior pitcher and top hitter Chandler Sadat. Sadat is going to Indiana next season and is expected to lead the Lakers in the White. Deshawn Cole is also solid as well. The question will be is who will back them up, could it be Zach Allread, whom is expected to step up his game this season or Robbie Jones who will be going to Michigan State next season.

2. Orion: The Dragons were upset last season by Waterford Kettering have some questions but they are always solid. In what is to be a tough Red this season, Orion will be counted on to play more small ball than long ball. Miles Hardy returns and the Dragons will have a solid pitching staff led by Ken Guldi, Dan McNairmine and Cam Miller. Joe Turnbull, Bay Smart, Mike Falter and Jacob Christenson is expected to contrube this season as well for the Dragons.

3. Clarkston: The Wolves fresh off a State quarterfinals appearance will only help them get ready for this season. DJ Zezula will be asked to do more this season along with Joe Popp but pitching will be the question in C-Town this season but they have the depth to be competitive.

4. Stoney Creek: The Cougars were solid last season and will be a threat to win the Red and go even further than they did last season. Erick Gilgenbach returns at shortstop and will be going to South Bend next season. Stoney Creek will be solid this season and they will be talented as always.

5. Adams: The Highlanders this season is expected to be consistent in the Red. Jordan Wiley and Mitch Bigland return as the team's two top hitters. Adams should get a boost from Joe Pretchel after missing most of the season with a shoulder injury. The Highlanders need the starting pitching to be consistent and pitcher Weylin Frisbee along with Pretchel is expected to do that this season.

6. Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks have a new manager in Frank DeVito and he has his team off to a solid start. Bloomfield Hills will be the favorite in the Blue this season and will be led by it's hitting core led by senior shortstop Perry Klamanski but the question will be their rotation besides pitcher Nick Schineder they are young.

7. Troy Athens: The Red Hawks may be young but they will have one of the state's most feared hitters in John Van Hoef. Athens is senior heavy this season and is also led by ace Matt Lerdal along with Nick Lafleur. Expect the Red Hawks to make a run in the White this season.

8. Oxford: The Wildcats have a new manager in Dave Herrick and does have two returning players in Scott Studenbach (running back in football) and starting pitcher James Rogers but Oxford did add a transfer in Anthony Gunn. Gunn is expected to contrubute right away for the Wildcats and they could make some noise this season.

9. Harrison: Yes the Hawks are here this season. Harrison not well known as a baseball power is expected to do wonders this season. The Hawks will be led by junior outfielder David Vinsky whom batted 401 last season and also have senior ace Trevor Friday. Harrison returns seven starters and is expected to contend this season in the White.

10. North Farmington: The Raiders always have talent but they have inexperience as well this season. North Farmington will have to relay a lot on their pitching led by ace Alex Darden and their young staff. If they get some offense, then they will be fine.

Softball Preview Top 10.

Written Saturday April 11th at 1:10 PM

1. Orion: The Dragons will be loaded once again this season. Orion will be led by utility player Alex Carpenter, third baseman Carly McGee, shortstop Rachel Dolland, and first baseman Megan Hall. The Dragons also have Shelby Misak whom had a strong freshman season last season. If junior pitcher Sierra Gonzales stays healthy and improves her game than manager Joe Woytira will have a strong chance at repeating in the Red and possibly go far in the playoffs but they have a tough district ahead of them at home with Clarkston, Adams, Oxford, and Waterford Mott.

2. Clarkston: The senior laden Wolves have a lot of experience back for a team that had defensive troubles last season. Clarkston will be led by two of the state's top pitchers Candace Kitchen and Madeline Maday. The Wolves also have a very solid hitting lineup for manager Don Peters in senior shortstop Rachel Vieria along with fellow seniors Ashley Skaggs and Makayla Blaska, who batted 509 last season. They are junior laden as well and will have a player whom has already committed to Michigan in catcher Abby Skvarce and Mariah Hood. Clarkston could very well be a state title contending team but they will get by Orion first, the Dragons have eliminated the Wolves the last two seasons and the district is right back at Orion.

3. Troy: The Colts are going to be young but they do have some talent returning for manager Tom Calnen. Senior outfielder Maggie Bohr returns along with all state catcher Ashley Messina who is going to Wayne State next season. Messina had a 410 batting average last season. First baseman Caroline Morton is expected to be counted on to lead Troy this season. Carlie Sebastian will be the Colts starting pitcher whom had a solid sophomore season. Troy is a tough out when it gets to later in the season as they will likely have to clash with Troy Athens on the road in district play.

4. North Farmington: The Raiders lost a lot of talent last season to graduation but they are still very talented and well coached. Their pitcher returns from a year ago in junior Alexa Cherney. Cherney, a girls basketball player as well for coach Jeff Simpson had a 1.8 earned run average, struck out 335 batters, and won 33 games last season. Her catcher Elizabeth Sullivan returns as well. North Farmington will have three talented freshman to watch as well in Sarah Lynch, Cherney's sister Samantha, and Kenze D'Asceno. Expect the Raiders to be in games and is the darkhorse in the Red and in the district.

5. Adams: Highlanders manager Fran Sczhwioticz will have some offensive troubles this season but they will be in games thanks to their Robert Morris bound pitcher Kelly McCasland. McCasland is one of the league's top pitchers and will have to be for a team that returns only two offensive threats in outfielders Melissa Wei and Haley Willis. The district is not pretty either as they will see Orion, Clarkston, Oxford, or Waterford Mott.

6. Oxford: The Wildcats have experience back for second year manager Jessie Granger and also basketball experience as well. Senior Cherylin Bandis, whom is going to Lawrence Tech on a basketball scholarship will be relayed on to lead off for Oxford, Skye Donaldson is a very good player as well for the Wildcats as she is versatile. The basketball to softball experience doesn't last with these two players as Madison Dinges along with freshman Lauren Donaldson and Kaitlyn Bean complete the basketball to softball transition for Oxford. Expect the Wildcats to be solid this season.

7. Seaholm: The Maples will be young this season but they do have some key talent returning to a team that was solid last season. Seaholm will rely on their shortstop and starting pitcher Maddy Cormier whom had a strong offensive campaign last season and will be heading to Dension University next season. Catcher Christina Dennis returns and is a solid defender and offensive threat and junior outfielders Vivian Righter and Ashley Lenington will be solid players as well for the Maples.

8. Rochester: The Falcons suffered graduation losses and to make things worse, they moved up from the White to the Red this season. Rochester will have UNC-Wilmington commit Haley Lenderman back and the offense could be an issue to watch. They will have ulitilty player Collete Coulter and shortstop Ross Myers back. The district is wide open though but they will have to deal with Romeo, Utica Eisenhower, and Stoney Creek at Utica Eisenhower this season.

9. Troy Athens: Graduation hit the Red Hawks hard a season ago, manager Dave Marr could struggle this season in replacing a lot of talent left from the team that battled Troy in the district finals. Troy Athens will have solid infield play, led by senior catcher Jensen O-Branovic. Juniors Maddy Ellinger and Alina Kirkland will lead the pitching staff for the Red Hawks. It could be an interesting season on John R Road in Troy.

10. Farmington: The Falcons have two top players returning to a team that was middle of the pack last season. The first player is sophomore catcher Danielle Pentras. Pentras last season hit 380 and is expected to have a strong season in her second season in Farm Town. The other one is four year shortstop Claire Knie who is expected to be the top player back this upcoming season. Farmington is in a tough district to close out the season with Farmington Hills Mercy and North Farmington at North Farmington so we'll see what happens.

Vikings will move down back to Class B.

Written Wednesday April 1st, at 12:10 PM

The MHSAA has made some changes to the next school year for some schools due to enrollment. One OAA team will move back to Class B for tournament play starting next season.

The Hazel Park Vikings will rejoin the Ferndale Eagles as the only two OAA teams that are in Class B.

Hazel Park is one of five teams that were in Class A to make the move down to Class B. The other schools going down to Class B are Stevensville Lakeshore, Fruitport, Sault Area, and Detroit Mumford.

Teams that moved up to Class A are Sturgis, South Lyon East, Haslett, Parma Western, and Jackson Northwest

It is also possible that Hazel Park could return in a messed up district for the volleyball and basketball tournaments in which they feature teams from Macomb County in Warren Fitzgerald and some Detroit area schools as well, including a team that went to the State Finals in Detroit Henry Ford.

Hazel Park was in the Warren district this season in Class A with Warren De Lassale, Warren Cousino, Warren Mott, and Warren Woods Tower.

With the move down to Class B, it could help an improving Vikings boys basketball team that returns three starters from a team that almost won the Gold last season, knowing that they can compete with some of the best in the state. Volleyball and girls basketball were down seasons for the Vikings.

The rest of the OAA will all be in Class A.

The enrollment breakdown according to the MHSAA and the Detroit Free Press

Class A (875 students or more) =187 schools
Class B (420-874 students)=187 schools
Class C (213-419 students)=188 schools
Class D (212 students or less)=188 schools

We'll see what the move happens and when the districts are released in June, its possible the Vikings could make an impact.